Best Nintendo Switch Games for Travel

Best Nintendo Switch Games for Travel

Ever since Nintendo came out with the Game & Watch games in 1980, they have dominated the handheld game console market.  Sony has definitely pushed back with the PSP and PSVita portable consoles, and smart phones today can essentially be portable consoles in their own rights, but Nintendo holds strong with its different iterations of the Nintendo DS, 3DS, and its newest and strongest console: the Nintendo Switch.  The Nintendo Switch is our choice for the Best Gaming Console for Traveling.

While most gaming consoles are typically marketed to a more niche audience, the Nintendo Switch’s “gimmick” has allowed itself to be fit slightly in the “typical gamer” niche, while also extending far past it.  The console is unique with its ability to play both on TVs with its docking station and also in handheld mode on the go.  Because of this, it has found itself being purchased more and more by travelers looking to keep themselves entertained on planes, trains, and more!

Although internet connection may be necessary for some facets of games and features included on the Switch, being able to electronically pre-download games, or even having the cartridges themselves on-hand mean that your full gaming-on-the-go experience is as simple as having your Nintendo Switch charged.

With a growing library of games, here are our current picks for the best Nintendo Switch games for travel:

Best Nintendo Switch Games for Travel: Top 5 Solo-Traveler Games

Because the console is very amenable to different positions where it can be stood up and played from afar, or as a more conventional screen-in-hands gaming experience like its competitor smartphones and PSVitas, the individual traveler’s gaming options have been blown wide open with the Switch.  Having traveled quite a bit with one of these consoles myself on planes and long Ubers alike, here are 5 games I recommend for playing on the go:

• Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild

A staple first-party title of Nintendo since 1986, Legend of Zelda found its way to the Nintendo Switch console in 2017.  This game won numerous game of the year awards and other awards for its graphical design and musical score as well.  In a franchise known for great titles and selling more than most competitors, this game outsold every other game in the series by the time it was only a year and 3 months old (10.8 million copies sold by June 2018).  The game pits Link against Ganon in much different fashion, featuring a massive open world with a new physics engine that allows players to discover their own solutions to puzzles and problems they find in game.  With weapon and combat systems that aren’t one-dimensional, you are able to play the game how you like and fight as you feel right with over 200 weapons to choose from.  This game took a very different angle to a beloved game series and has incredible replay value, great for long trips when travelers are looking to have something to do or relax to.

• Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario Odyssey puts Mario in a place that both reinvents the wheel, but also doesn’t fix what isn’t broken.  Taking world-renowned aspects of previous 3D Super Mario games (Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy, etc.) and not only adding flare, but fleshing out the physics and functionality of everything throughout the game, Odyssey takes from the Mario formula merely the concept and goes places the character never has before. With references to every game in the series, a music soundtrack that could be listened even independently of the game, the general ambience of the game is that of an incredible Mario game, but the playability is something even greater.  Each world within the game provides opportunities for collectibles and necessary “moons” beyond those on the beaten path.  We’ve already touched upon the replay value this particular title has, but that’s simply because it carries that in a similar fashion to previously mentioned title, Breath of the Wild.  While some puzzles are straight-forward, players can find that different techniques they learn along the way permit some very creative methods of playing the same levels. With engaging new worlds to explore and replay value that can have someone enjoy similar scenes in extremely different ways, this game is perfect as a travel game.

• Stardew Valley

Combining the exploration and building aspects of Minecraft with the relationship building and home decorating of The Sims, Stardew Valley has gained a great reputation for providing both relaxation and opportunities for creativity to those who play it.  This game takes the open-endedness and world creation from both of the aforementioned games and blends them into a RPG-style country-life simulator.  While there are story-driven aspects, the game allows the player to play and advance at their own pace, creating farms of sizes they desire tricking out their homes in ways they want. Travelers are able to play for a while and put down the game when they get to their destination or want to nap on flights. As I mentioned previously, the game is very popular for being a haven for relaxation and transporting people to their digital farms.

• Hollow Knight

Starting with the Wii U, Nintendo began providing bigger and more plentiful opportunities for Indie game developers to grow and have a platform to really show how great their products could be. The indie game studio from Australia, Team Cherry, took great advantage of this opportunity with highly regarded and critically acclaimed, Hollow Knight. The game pits a small warrior against waves and dungeons of enemies with nothing but a nail to use as a sword and his soul to defend himself. Progressing through the game allows you to unlock abilities for our little friend and help defeat more of the game. While our previously mentioned titles are more open-world, this game resembles Castlevania and Metroid in their more 2D platformer based progression. This game combines these games in puzzles and combat with an incredible art-style that is so pleasant to the eye that players might forget how intimidating the next enemy is. With a moderate but justified difficulty that feels rewarding to progress through and a simple enough combat system, this game becomes easy to pick up and put down as often as you get on a plane or train, heading to your next destination as part of a tour package.

• Octopath Traveler

The final top game on our list of travel games recommended for the Switch is incredible in its own right. The first Nintendo-exclusive on this list not developed by Nintendo (instead, by Square Enix), Octopath Traveler has become the perfect RPG for the mobile platform. The game functions as a classic JRPG with turn-based tactics with a team fighting against multiple enemies and bosses as expected. What truly sets this game apart from others in the genre is the incredibly unique art-style; this is described by the developers themselves as “HD-2D,” combining the 16-bit-like sprite designs included in Super Nintendo games with fully HD environments and effects. The story places 8 protagonists all with their own motives and one overarching, converging storyline. While the graphics and nature of the game are jarringly beautiful alone, the way the story progresses and ability to play through each character’s story as a part of the whole or separately allows for plenty of enjoyable play time. While this list is mostly based around what you can play when you’re traveling, this is a game you’ll want to play plenty at home and allow your travel times to race by as the story progression makes flights race by.

While there are plenty of times where travelers go to different locations alone, it’s not uncommon for travelers to go in groups of more than just one person. Something very underappreciated with the Nintendo Switch console is its function as a mobile screen.  Because it is a more tablet-sized large screen and the JoyCon controllers are so small and portable, one Switch console can be the source of fun for up to 4 people comfortably on the go. Here are our Top 5 picks for players looking to play with friends on the go:

• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Another classic Nintendo title that has been around since the Super Nintendo days, the Mario Kart series has always been the first thing most people think about in games they have enjoyed with friends. The game is a revamped version of the Wii U’s Mario Kart 8, but with more bells, whistles, characters, cars, and new game modes for more continued fun. For players who take things more seriously or just the average Joe wanting to beat race their friends and hit them with some koopa shells on the way, this game is a perfect meeting point. I can honestly say I myself have played this on plane rides or Uber trips with friends I was traveling with. The more memorable experiences were on planes where I would stand up the Switch on tray tables with a spare controller until my fellow traveler who I didn’t know asked to partake and enjoy as well. This game is perfect for friends or family traveling and looking to pass by time having a great time together!

• Puyo Puyo Tetris

Most people have heard of Tetris at some point in their lives, especially considering it is the single highest selling video game of all time, but what Puyo Puyo Tetris does is take the original game and adds an additional twist to it. In conventional Tetris, a player is simply clearing lines of blocks that fall from the sky by lining them up just right. Puyo Puyo is a Japanese series of games that involve setting up the lines to pop these “puyos” (when four puyos of the same color touch) in a fashion that allows more to fall and pop in succession. Combining these two games gives you Puyo Puyo Tetris which lets you play in a number of different ways. For the more traditional player looking to clear lines by themselves, you have the option to play exclusively Tetris by yourself with no opponent. You can also play against a friend on the same screen, challenging the other to clear more lines at a time than you. The more adventurous gamer can attempt to add Puyo Puyo to the mix, creating a more hectic board switching between the too, but adding fun in a proportional fashion. The beauty of this game and its replay value is in the variation of play-styles you are provided, but also the fact that games take around 5 minutes at a time. This is perfect for travels not just on long flights, but short car rides as well! The ability to boot up the console, give your family member or friend a controller, and be done with 2 games in 10 minutes time makes this game perfect for traveling!

• Mario Tennis Aces

Filling the space left open by past Nintendo sports games iconic to the Wii, like Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, Nintendo brings back its Mario Tennis series in amazing fashion. The Wii U iteration was hardly a callout to previous titles in the series, so Mario Tennis Aces has been widely loved and accepted for its great gameplay and being an incredible return to quality Mario sports games. Every playable character in the game has unique stats and abilities that allow for different playstyles to flourish. The part of this game that open the doors for casual players and competitive players alike to have a good time are the different game modes; you are able to play with all abilities and techniques available, play a more old-fashioned game without special abilities, where ball placement and technique is king, and finally, you can be taken back to the days of Wii Sports tennis where you swing your JoyCon like a Wiimote to hit the ball back to your opponent. Similar to Puyo Puyo Tetris in length of games and commitments of time in general, this game is amazing to play between trips, for small waits, etc. with friends and families when traveling on trips. Just slide the Switch out of its case, pop out the controllers, and pump out some quick, incredibly fun games.

• Super Mario Party

Already part of an incredibly successful and popular franchise, Super Mario Party returns to the tried-and-true formula of traversing a board game while playing mini-games against your friends in family while adding some twists to it.  For a few years, the series began placing the players in the same cart together, but this iteration brings you back to individually walking the board with a few changes to the formula.  Like most board games, you use dice blocks to move spaces in Super Mario Party, but in this game you have the option to enable your character’s special dice block which either gives you a chance to have more consistent lower rolls or gamble on a higher roll with a potential drawback if you miss (lost currency or spaces). For friends trying to have fun on travels, you don’t always have to be pitted against them like the series has always had in the past; you now have the option for team-based gameplay either with “River Survival,” a game that allows all four players (and CPUs if necessary) to play on the same team to complete tasks and travel down a river, or “Partner Party,” which pairs you with a friend or computer player to play the usual Mario Party mode as a team.

• Overcooked/Overcooked 2

If you’ve ever played the old flash games that require you to cook certain foods or combine them in a kitchen for virtual customers, then you’ve basically played Overcooked.  This co-op kitchen masterpiece was so successful as a fun couch game for friends and family that it was given a sequel with more features and levels. The game puts you and your friends in a kitchen with the ability to cook different foods as part of recipes that different customers are ordering.  Timeliness is rewarded in the kitchen by extra points for keeping happy customers and not letting your food burn or spoil. With the simple controls, but extremely fun atmosphere, this game is perfect for any setting, including bus rides and plane trips; you’ll simply need to turn the game on, hand a JoyCon controller to your friend and play!

At first glance, the Nintendo Switch console appears to be another gimmick attempt by Nintendo to approach the gaming industry from a different angle as they are so famous for, but, in reality, the “Big N” turns out to be doing this, but in a much more incredible fashion than one might think.  The ability to bring Nintendo’s favorites over the years along with third-party titles, like Dark Souls, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and more to not just the living room and bedroom, but anywhere, makes this console not just the most unique, but the most noteworthy of the current-generation.  Most importantly, the Switch is quite clearly the best item you can take with you on your travels, due to its boundless hours of entertainment-on-the-go it can provide not just you, but your travel companions as well.

Did we miss your favorite? Let us  know your top 5 Best Nintendo Switch Games for Travel.

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